GROUP B - Nigeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa

NIGERIA Like Ghana, the Flying Eagles are built around the team from the Fifa U-17 World Cup in Korea.

From the team that won that championship two years ago come skipper Lukman Haruna, Rabiu Ibrahim, Kingsley Udoh, Macauley Chrisantus and Gani Oseni. All these players now ply their trade in Europe.


Several promising youngsters from the domestic championship like Samuel Tswanya, Sunday Abe and Gbolahan Salami also have a chance to move overseas after this tournament. Nigeria is gunning for a sixth championship win after they lost in the 2007 final to Congo Brazzaville.


Coach Ladan Bosso has come under fire despite the fact that the Flying Eagles were unbeaten in the qualifiers against Senegal and Sudan.


There was even speculation that he would be fired. And days before the team’s departure to Kigali, he was ordered to stay away from training after some of his comments in the media embarrassed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).


Officials said they have kept faith with the 42-year-old handler because he guided Nigeria to the last eight of the 2007 World Youth Championship in Canada.

EGYPT Three-time winners of the AYC, Egypt will also host the Fifa World Youth Championship in later this year in September.


In the qualifying tournament for this year's competition, they sent Zimbabwe packing on a 6-0 aggregate. They were jolted in the second round by Zambia, who held them to a 3-3 draw in Cairo. However, the young Egyptians showed great character by winning the return leg in Zambia 1-0 to seal their place at the African Youth Championship.


Their opening Group B fixture against Nigeria is expected to define this first round section.


IVORY COAST Ivory Coast had produced a solid team thanks from the famous Asec academy which has nurtured some of the country's top stars thus continue to remain a dominant force in youth football in Africa.


However, they are yet to fulfill their true potential by going all the way and winning the tournament. They have twice played in the AYC final, in 1991 and 2003.

The Young Elephants are coached by former international goalkeeper Alain Gouamene and showed true class during the Wafu regional tournament in Nigeria in December.


The players to watch include goalkeeper Kone Ibrahim and 19-year-old striker Gohi Bi Cyriac, who was top scorer in the Ivorian league last season and has now signed for English club Charlton Athletic. But he will not feature in the inaugural Championship of African Nations (CHAN) because his transfer to England in December means he is no longer an amateur.


The Ivorians' preparations though have been hampered by financial constraints so much so that they had to cancel a planned training stint in Burundi prior to the competition.


They eliminated neighbors Guinea and Burkina Faso to get this far.


SOUTH AFRICA The Amajita went as far as the final of the 1997 tournament in Morocco with a certain Benny McCarthy leading the attack.

This will be their fourth appearance at the AYC. To reach Rwanda 2009, the team skippered by defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele defeated Reunion and Botswana.


Coach Serame Lesoaka though has had to battle Premier Soccer League clubs like Moroka Swallows to release players to his squad. Lesoaka's target is qualification to the World Youth Championship in Egypt.


"We are looking beyond this championship. The World Cup is the big picture," he said.


They have their work cut out even though a respectable showing in the first round could still earn them a World Championship ticket. If hosts Egypt make it into the knock-out phase of the AYC, Africa will then be represented by five teams at the world Under-20 event later in the year.


So far, 15 editions of the tournament have already been organised. Only seven countries have won the trophy at least once. Nigeria tops the chart of winners after grabbing the trophy five times. Egypt is second with three trophies won.

Ghana comes next after obtaining the trophy twice. Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Congo have each lifted the trophy once.


The African Youth Champion also serves as qualifies for the World Youth Championship, whose next edition will be staged in Egypt later in the year. Rwanda opens the competition against Mali at Amahoro stadium tomorrow before Ghana take on arch rivals Cameroon.


The Caf U-20 African Championship is held every two years with the top 4 teams qualifying for the Fifa World Youth Championship.